New Jersey doling out $12 million in grants to reduce gun violence, support crime victims
(The Center Square) – New Jersey’s Department of Law & Public Safety is allocating $12 million in grants to reduce gun violence and help crime victims.
The money includes $10 million for Community-Based Violence Intervention (CBVI) Programs, which officials said is the largest single investment in such programs in state history. The money for the CBVI programs was included in New Jersey’s fiscal 2022 budget.
It also includes $2 million for emergency housing for crime victims. The state is using a federal fiscal 2020 Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding (CESF) grant to cover the cost of the emergency housing initiative.
“We cannot end gun violence unless we invest in the people working on the ground to make their communities safer,” Acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck said in an announcement.
“The grant funding we’re making available today is an essential part of the Murphy Administration’s public safety strategy and a reflection of our commitment to this issue,” Bruck added. “We recognize that prosecutors and police cannot end gun violence on their own, and this funding will strengthen the community partners who are so essential to building safer neighborhoods.”
Officials say the programs are a part of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s goal to discover the root causes of violent crime.
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